holiday

I usually prefer to have all my gifts purchased before December starts. Some years, like this year, I’m the complete opposite, wrapping it up the week of Christmas…pun intended. hehheh.

I like my gifts to be something I can back up and feel good about. I like to give things that will be wholesome, educational, an experience or to treat someone with something they normally wouldn’t get for themselves. I try to always go with local, handmade, homemade, made in USA, and quality over quantity. This list is based on my favorite items of gifts I’ve given, wanted, received or are on my bucket lists to do any of the above.

So if you happen to still be trying to figure out a perfect gift for a loved one, I hope this gives you some ideas!

Handmade LeatherWallet-For an anniversary present for my husband I bought him a handmade leather wallet with his inititals on it, it was a huge hit, sometimes I still smell it, anyone else love the smell of leather? Unfortunately the guy I bought it from on Etsy left the business, but there’s still a great selection.

Beard Balm– As a military wife, I don’t have to worry about my husbands beard. I’m not complaining. But if you have a man that likes his facial hair, treat him with this extra special stuff. It has incredible reviews and I have lots of friends who swear by it.

Fairtrade Coffee– I feel like this is a no fail gift. If you know someone and they drink coffee, get them some extra good coffee. These make a great gift on their own or for stocking stuffers. Can also be made into a coffee lovers basket, with a french press, and a special mug. I like to find local shops and find a hand crafted mug from a local pottery. So Hygge!

Wool Socks – These wool socks have a LIFETIME warranty. They go bad, you take them in to the store and they give you a brand new pair, no questions asked. How can you go wrong. Each of our kids are getting a pair of these in their stockings this year.

Moccasins – Who doesn’t like getting a pair of wooly moccasin slippers? LL Bean and Overland Sheepskin Co. are my two favorite companies for moccasins.

Hammock – For the more outdoorsy type, this is a great gift. Folds up small, great for adventures or chilling in your yard. We purchased the Wise Owl brand over ENO and I give it a 5 star! Feels just like ENO quality for half the price.

Stainless Steel Coffee Mug – We are pretty anti plastic, but especially when it comes to things we consume. Also by using your own mug you eliminate stryofoam/paper waste, AND keep toxic plastic away from your coffee. This Yeti brand is best of the best. Though Thermos is pretty nice as well.

Copper Mugs– Not only are these great for Moscow Mules which are freaking delicious, as long as you’re 21 of course; Ayurvedic medicine says drinking out of copper has health benefits as well. As long as you’re drinking some water out of it as well and not just Moscow Mules 😉

Coppered Water Pitcher – Obviously I like copper, look at the name of my site, but this is an extra special gift, with great benefits as well, because the more you’re water sits in the copper the more it will absorb. You can read more about that here if you’re interested.

Himalayan Salt Lamps – Salt lamps purify the air by emitting negatively charged ions which cling to the postively charged dust and allergens floating in your air. Also they’re unique and pretty and emit a hygge-worthy glow. Even if they already have one, do they have one in every room? That’s what I thought.

Essential Oil Diffusers– No natural house is complete with out a diffuser or 10. I like the cool-mist variety myself.

Car Diffuser If you know someone in the car a lot, this would be a great gift.

Teflon-Free Pans – If you know someone trying to switch over to a healthier lifestyle, give the gift that feeds their whole family. Stainless steel, cast iron and stone pans are the way to go.

Essential Oil Carriers – If you have a person who uses oils, this is a fool proof gift. Lots of variety in cases. I like these handmade ones. Made from cotton-jute so their totally crunchy, and made by a small business mama.

Elkhaart Products – These products are handmade by another small business mama. She uses wholesome ingredients good enough to eat. You can see all her products on her website here, but she does most of her ordering through her facebook page here. To name a few things she makes:

Beard Balm

Sunscreen

Beeswax Candles

Custom made soap

Healing Balm

Dry Shampoo

Sugar Scrub

Body Butter

Beeswax Candles -These are a great choice for giving a homemade gift, but if homemade isn’t your thing, I love the candles made by this sweet company. With out knowing the ins and outs of making candles, this tutorial was most helpful to me. Beeswax candles are the only candles I burn in my house. They, like salt lamps, emit negatively charged ions into the air which cling to positively charged dust and allergens. They clean the air, smell like honey, and are made by an all natural/renewable source. #thankthebees

Tallow Balm – This stuff is a wonder worker. It heals sunburns, and prevents them if you put it on soon enough, speeds up healing minor cuts, and is a great facial/body moisturizer. I call it bovine botox. Yes it’s wonderful. You can make your own or purchase it.

Natural Makeup/Nail Polish – I’m still doing my own research on trying to find a makeup company that has nutrient dense makeup products that actually work. I purchased mascara, eyeliner, lipstick, eyeshadow, and a tinted concealer from this company and have been pretty impressed. I won’t say they’re the only good company because I don’t know. But they have an ingredient list you could eat. Help a girl out by giving her make up that’s good for your body.

Fair Trade/Organic Chocolate – Chocloate Lovers deserve chocolate not made with poisonous ingredients or at the expense of child labor. It’s a price worth paying for. And since it’s not empty calories you won’t need a whole pound to satisfy chocolate cravings.

Immersion Blender– I received this as a gift a few years ago and it is one of my most used tools in the kitchen. A fantastic buy!

Elliott Homestead Cookbook – If you want to eat a traditional diet, but don’t have “real-life” recipes, this cookbook is just what you need. Not only is it practical, but also probably laugh while you’re making supper.

Wool Dryer Balls – Help someone quit toxic fabric softener sheets by giving these. If you’re wondering why you should make the switch you can read up on it here.

Vitamix – Make your own nut butters, grind your own wheat, make smoothies, pates’, braunsweiger, and countless other things.

Water FiltersFor Drinking Water – If you’re not sure why you should remove the fluoride from your water here is an excellent post. This company has a great selection of water filters for different price ranges.

Family Gifts

My favorite family or group gifting ideas that I think are brilliant are memberships. Or a class to learn something new. These obviously work for individuals as well. Here are the ones I like and other group gift ideas as well.

Science Center

Imax

Zoo

Rock Climbing Gym

Painting Class

Pottery Class

Music Class

Horse Riding Lesson

Photography Class

Orpheum Theatre

Symphony Orchestra

Board Games

Gift Ideas For Kids

6 inch American Girl Dolls – these range in price from $15-30+ We don’t do barbies in our house for various reasons. And we don’t even miss them. My toddler girl loves playing with these dolls. We take them on long car rides, camping etc. They’re a hit. I also love them because with each doll I get her we learn about a different period in history.

Green Toys– I’m usually not into plastic, but I love what this company does. They are made in USA, and are made 100% from recycled milk cartons. I go to them over Melissa and Doug since M&D sold out and now manufacture their toys in China. We have their tea set. They have a nice selection of toys for boys and girls from trucks to airplanes and dish sets and baby toys.

Organic Christmas Candy Stocking Stuffers – I buy these every Christmas for our stockings. The first year we tried them even the adults couldn’t believe how good they were!

Stainless Steel Water Bottles- This is another item i’m checking off this year for our tots. Eliminate the need to buy bottled water and give your kids their own special water bottle. Plastic free, shatter proof.

Life Factory Water Bottles– I love this company. I use their baby bottles and they are *nearly* indestrucable. I also have one of these water bottles. A nother great plastic free option.

Stainless Steel Dishes – If you have kids in the house, but don’t want plastic, these are the best! We take them camping, and we use them for our every day dishes. The only thing that has destroyed one of our cups was a lawn mower. And even then it held it’s own pretty good. They will last a lifetime and can be passed on. Also if you have Laura Ingalls readers in your house, you could do a “tin” cup and a peppermint stick in their stocking! 😀

Kinetic Sand – Our kids got this a few years ago for Christmas and it is a huge hit. We keep it stored in an airtight long flat bin. And get it out when baby is sleeping. You can keep adding to it and get a little at a time as it’s a bit pricey. There are also tutorials to make your own. Just look up moon sand.

Camp Chair – For camping, fires, picniks, little kids love to have their own chair.

Play Scarves – I’ve seen these recommended countless times and wasn’t sure they’d be a hit. I actually bought play dresses at a consignment shop, and my kids like them, but I have several silky large scarves that they’ve actually confiscated and play with all the time in dress up, probably more than the dress up clothes themselves. So I now recommend these silk scarves.

Books and Book Sets Every Child should have in their library. Inspired by Living Books and Charlotte Mason

This list is of books I’ve read to my children 5 and under, and have been loved by them. It’s not an extensive list, just our personal favorites of some classics. We started reading chapter books when my oldest was 3. If they start to lose interest just stop and start up another time. Most of the time they’re begging me to go on.

Family Traditions

I still consider myself to be a newb in all things concerning family life and motherhood. My oldest will be 5 in the Spring. I am at the turning point where I want to be grounded in what we choose for family traditions. Traditions are an important part of family life not only do they add treasured memories and togetherness, but they contribute to higher academics, emotional stability and well being, success, happiness and are even linked with parental competence and marital satisfaction. (Source1)

I loved many of the traditions I grew up with that I get to share with my children and I’m excited for the new(to us) traditions that we have found to add into our family. Some of these are as simple as just making a point to have dinner together each night. Not to be afraid to say no and live life a little slower and hygge it up if you will.

As we are days away from entering into one of my favorite times of year, though, I want to talk about the traditions of advent, the season that prepares us for the most magical Christmas season. Advent means coming. The coming of our infant Lord. The last few years I’ve been reading the book, The Year and Our Children. It is a book written by a faith filled Catholic mother of 6 and she goes through the liturgical year spewing beautiful, rich traditions to pass down the faith in such a memorable and meaningful way.

As she, Mary Reed Newland, has said it so perfectly and in a way that I can only presume was inspired by the Holy Ghost, I simply wanted to share her thoughts on St. Nicholas vs. Santa Claus. This can be a touchy subject. And to each their own. But This is what we have decided to do with our children only because I fully believe it adds to the true meaning and beauty of Christmas while still leaving all the fun and a little mystery.

St. Nicholas, the Christmas Saint

On December 6 comes the feast of the Christmas saint, St. Nicholas, though most of our celebration of this feast comes on his vigil, December 5. We find a puppet show a delightful way to tell his story, explain his relation to the Christ Child, and introduce the hanging of stockings on his feast day.

St. Nicholas was really a Turk born in Asia Minor. For a long time he was Bishop of Myra (near the Southern coast of Turkey to the right of the Island of Rhodes- in case you look for it on a map). An orphan, he grew in love of God, became a priest and made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to venerate the places of Our Lord’s life. On the voyage a terrible storm threatened to sink the ship, but by his prayers all were saved. For this reason he is venerated as patron of boatmen, fishermen, dock workmen, and sailors.

Returning to his native land he was made a bishop; his generosity and love for the poor and for children, as well as his many miracles, endeared him to Christian people all over the world. He is also venerated as the patron of scholars, coopers and brewers, travelers and pilgrims, those who have unjustly lost a lawsuit, as patron and annual benefactor of school children (especially boys), and is invoked against robbers and ( in Holland) for protection of seafaring men.

Many legends surround St. Nicholas. The story we like best is the well-known tale of the three marriageable daughters who were nevertheless un marriageable for want of dowries. Hearing of their plight, the saint went silently by their house one night and tossed a bag of gold through the window for the oldest, who not long after found a husband for herself with no trouble at all. Then he crept by a second time and tossed a bag of gold through the window for the second daughter, who likewise was suddenly at no loss for suitors. As he was about to toss the gold through the window for the third daughter, the father of the girls caught sight of him. Throwing himself at his feet, he thanked him, confessed his sins, begged his blessing. Plainly it is from this story that the tradition has grown wherein St. Nicholas is said to leave gifts, candies, sweets on window sills, in shoes, and even in the stockings of good little children.

It is the Dutch diminutive Sinter Klaas (Sant Nikolaas) which became , by way of the New Amsterdam Dutch, the familiar American Santa Clause. It is among the Dutch also that we find the appearance of Black Peter, his page, who follows him distributing switches, coal and straw-whatever- to the naughty children as St. Nicholas gives treats to the good.

“Telling the truth about Santa Claus” need not rob children of their Christmas magic. It adds to it with another feast to celebrate, another saint to know and love, another emphasis gently persuading them t meditate on the coming of the Divine Child. And if we really fear to take away that part of it that is surprise, that marvelous moment Christmas morning when the presents are at last mysteriously there, be assured the little ones continue to pretend. Our littlest ones, knowing the truth, continue to pretend that it is all assembled in the most mysterious and magical fashion.

“But-then- who gives us the presents?” children will ask.

“Who loves you most in all the world gives you the presents.”

“Who is that?”

“You guess.”

They screw up their faces, think hard. Then suddenly all brighten: “You- and Daddy, and Grandma and Granny!”

It is like the circle that never ends. God loves mothers and fathers gives them children they will love, and they teach the children about God, and the children love God, and since God wants them all with Him in Heaven, He sends His Son who loves them so much that He gives up His life for them, and that is so much love that it pays for their sins and buys back Heaven for them. . . At Christmas everyone is so happy about all this that we all give each other presents. Shouldn’t that be the reason we give an receive presents?

It would be a little embarrassing to be asked, “Don’t you think the Christ Child is an adequate substitute for Santa Claus?” and feel you must answer No. He really is and He must become the all of Christmas for families who are going to try and live lives of deep faith. It is not really worth it to toss in this “little white lie” when we are trying so hard to teach children impeccable truthfulness. Probably not all children who discover there is no Santa , when they have been told by their parents that there is, will consider their parents dyed-in-the-wool liars, but there is the danger that they will discount some of every other truth they are taught. This is an age when accuracy and unadorned truthfulness are not particularly in vogue. Yet a concern to speak the utter truth in everything will teach a child better than anything else how to be utterly truthful himself, how to be honest with his own conscience- which is the same thing as being honest with God. Santa Claus is not a serious lie, but St. Nicholas in his rightful place, gazing with us at the Christ Child, is a much lovelier truth.

One thing, however, it is not cricket to do: go about the neighborhood telling all the children who do believe in Sainta Claus that “there is none.” This kind of revelation is guaranteed to leave nothing but heartache behind. Without proper explanation or background it is really cheating a child of something he dearly loves. Most children can learn to keep their own counsel about this; where there is disparity on the subject in the neighborhood, with love and tact the mothers can explain and help prevent unpleasant exchanges.

The Puppet Show the Vigil and the Feast

(Any one who hangs out with me knows I love to talk in any accent that currently fits the bill, so this puppet show is a new family tradition I relish, jah!)

Our puppets are made from socks- a white one for St. Nicholas and a black one for Black Peter.

In her book she goes over the short details on how they make their sock puppets. Suffice it to say I drew on their faces and glued some cottony beard(white for St. Nicholas, black for Black Peter, jah) and made make shift hats. She also made a little stage with cardboard. I just went behind the couch. I’m sure as my children grow I’ll get more impressive with my efforts, right now they’re too easy to please and I am not above taking advantage of that!

Everyone assembles after dinner on December 5, the vigil of the feast, and the puppet show begins. First St. Nicholas appears, bowing with dignity and murmuring: “Thank you, thank you,” to the shouts and clapping. He has a Dutch accent (just for merriment) , and if your accent isn’t all it might be, frequent interpolations of “jah, jah” convince all present that it is superb.

“I am not, you know, the real reason for Christmas. Even though I am sometimes called Santa Claus, I am not the reason for Christmas. Oh no. Baby Jesus is the reason for Christmas. It is His birthday, Christmas, the day His Father in Heaven gave Him to all of us. “

” I am waiting in Heaven, now, like you on earth, for His birthday on Christmas Day. And do you want to know something? That is why I gave gifts to little children when I was on earth! Because I was so grateful to God the Father for giving Jesus to me. That is why we give each other presents on Christmas Day, because we are full of joy and gladness that Jesus came down to be one of us and to die to pay for our sins.”

“Now, here is something you may do for my feast, and it pleases me so very much. You hang your stockings tonight, and if you are very good children- you will get cookies in them! (or sub with your personal preference) But if you are bad-! Ahhhh- if you are bad, you will get, not cookies- but straw! Black Peter will put straw in them.”

Up pops Black Peter, giggling and snickering and wagging his hands at the audience, which promptly rolls on the floor and shrieks.

The Bishop Nicholas is grave. “Peter, Peter! Behave yourself or I will have to use a switch on you! Peter, you are going to put straw in some stockings? Jah?”

“Ah- he will not tell. Peter, be fair now. No straw for the good children, you know. But be honest as well, straw for the naughty ones!”

Peter snickers again, wags at the children, then turns and throws himself on the Bishop, arms around his neck, mewing noisily. As the Bishop nods his head paternally, Peter slyly turns to the children, waves a free arm and giggles.

After this you can have Peter sing a song or two and the Bishop can end with a hymn and lead the children in a little prayer or two, asking for the grace to be good and to love little Jesus with all their hearts.

Then it is all over. All go rushing about looking for stockings, full of high hopes for cookies.

Last year we opened this book, The Legend of Saint Nicholas, for a family gift on the feast of St. Nicholas and it is full of little legends about him that made him come alive even more to my kids. I also like this version as it tells about him as he truly was, a bishop.

What do you do in your home, St. Nicholas or Santa Claus, neither? What do you do for advent? Will you try out this puppet show? What are your favorite traditions? I’d love to hear all about it!

Who loves the holidays?!

I do! I love Thanksgiving dinner, and family traditions, and all the hard work that my mom and grandma and aunts always put into our meals growing up, and since I finally had my own Thanksgiving dinner where I did all the cooking, I can appreciate it even more! It’s hard work!

The more I learn about food politics, and ingredients, and where our food comes from though, it gets harder and harder to turn a blind eye when I’m doing my grocery shopping for Thanksgiving/Christmas/Easter etc.! So last year, when I had my own Thanksgiving dinner, I decided I was going to make our traditional family Thanksgiving meal, that is, with ALL the family faves, real foodified! 100% healthful ingredients. Because lets face it, old habits die hard and the heart wants what the heart wants. And when someone brings cubed seasoned squash *in place* of stuffing, or forgets the mashed potatoes, it does not go over well in a crowd. Good thing for us, though, this is no compromise, but an improvement! Get the family favorites, minus the terrible ingredients, and you’ve got yourself one healthy, feel good dinner your family and friends will feel good about during, and after the meal! Sans the typical “after meal” groans of poisonous ingredients taking their effect as they make their way through your body wreaking havoc on your microbiome, hormones, and mental health, while your children are going wild from red# 40 aka Cherry Fluff salad. I know, I know, you’re welcome.

I found many of these recipes on pinterest. Some I followed pretty closely, others, were more like guidelines. You know how sometimes you wait all day for the main meal, snacking on sweets and veggie trays and sneaking tastes in here and there, and when dinner rolls around you feel a bit let down..whether the snacking ruined your appetite, or realizing that a childhood favorite dish isn’t as good as you remember it? I’m here to tell you that these recipes were nothing like that! Every bite I had was so good it quite literally made my mouth water…as I was eating. I know, a bit slobbish sounding, but, it was just so good! And the best news? The recipes are not complicated in the least! As I said, these are my family favorites and from what I’ve seen are pretty typical of the mid western Thanksgiving dinners I’ve been too!

So with out further ado, I present to you my Thanksgiving menu and the recipes I originally found that helped me create a healthy, real food menu. This year I plan on writing down exactly what I do and hopefully exactly what I do, is exactly what I did last year, so I can share my original recipes with you all some day. In the mean time, these are also too legit to quit!

Real Food Thanksgiving Menu Recipe Round-Up!

Turkey

I feel like no one ever follows a turkey recipe. You brine it in good stuff. You baste it and cook it. My hubs likes to smoke his after brining it for two days. I wouldn’t know how to do all that. And obviously you have to have a smoker. Even if you don’t though, dont skip the brine. It’s uhhhhmazing, and more than worth the trouble of following a recipe for cooking a turkey.

Sourdough Stuffing

Sourdough stuffing is my absolute favorite! I always wing it when I make mine, but manage to nail it every time. Ain’t no thang! I love that savory, semi tangy, home cooked taste. I’ll write my recipe someday.. maybe even next Thursday! One thing I always use, though, is good, traditionally fermented sourdough bread, homemade chicken broth, and sage and salt and pepper to taste. If you use these things I just feel like you can’t go wrong. That’s the beauty of real food, there’s so much flavor that it’s just a matter of arranging it. With sourdough bread, and homemade broth, this is a healthy, and healing dish that is like one big hug! The recipe listed is pretty close to what I do, except as a Thanksgiving side, I would never add mushrooms to my stuffing. Personal preference.

Green Bean Casserole

This is a pretty big hit in our family. However, growing up we used cream of mushroom soup which is full of MSG, GMOs, and natural flavors, as well as french fried onions out of a can which are full of rancid oils and coated with white flour breading. A recipe of disaster really. Last year I considered going with out this beloved dish, then I thought about it. And I thought; cream of mushroom soup, fried onions? Buy some cream and mushrooms and saute them in butter, fry onions in some arrowroot flour and coconut oil, were good to go. However, after a little digging, I found this recipe that took the guess work out of it all. It is soo good, guys! Don’t buy those nasty cans of cream of mushroom soup. Preferably grass-fed /organic cream, a pile of mushrooms, you will not believe… fresh fried red onion in healthy coconut oil, I repeat, you will not believe your mouth!

Candied Yam/ Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes are pretty hard to go wrong with, however for Thanksgiving and taking into consideration the nostalgia I have of golden crusted marshmallows atop our sweet potatoes, I wasn’t going to skimp. If this isn’t your thing there are tons of savory sweet potato dishes that are great as well. If you’re a super sweet potato fan you could even have two different dishes. Savory and sweet! I am content with just one. And though I may choose better many other days, that.is not.this.day! The great news!? I was already a master at homemade marshmallows. Did you hear me right? Yes, homemade, white fluffy marshmallows, made with grassfed gelatin, and local honey. Can you believe it? Theyre so easy to make. It’s mind blowing. Just learn from my mistake, let the marshmallows dry a bit on the counter, they wont dissipate into a fluffy glob all over your sweet potatoes. Still Delicious? Well, duh My other top favorite sweet potato dish includes maple syrup, and pecans. To make the marshmallow sweet potatoes, you can use the maple pecan recipe, and instead of the pecan topping just dot your mallows on top and bake until golden. Also, I mean REAL maple syrup, Aunt Jemima ain’t welcome here no mo.

Cranberry Jelly

I sort of feel like most people don’t care for cranberry jelly anymore. I personally love it. And I feel like i’d be a little hurt if cranberry jelly decided not to show up every year. I feel a bit like a broken record, but this too..is.so.easy! Buy a bag of fresh organic cranberries. Dump into a little sauce pan. Pour in some organic sugar/sucanut/rhapadura and water, maybe a zest of orange. and let it cook. Voila, tangy goodness, the perfect addition to smoked turkey and sourdough stuffing. Just saying.

This year I am going to take my cranberry sauce a step further and ferment it. Adding in a nice zang of probiotics with the meal. I found this great recipe. Easy!

Dinner Rolls

For a great soaked, whole grain option, I use my bread recipe, and instead of forming loaves in the last step, I form them into rolls and let rise and bake as the recipe indicates! They sop up gravy and encase turkey fantastically!

Desserts

Almond Roca is a new addition to our Thanksgiving table, and I don’t intend to change that. Easy, fast, and delicious. Pecan pie is probably my favorite pie. And not once have I ever made it with corn syrup. Pumpkin Pie is a classic. And the nuts are great for snacking and also make great gifts!

Well there it is and I hope this list has inspired you to real foodify your thanksgiving table! I admit, our family makes a cherry fluff salad, that I havent taken the time to real foodify. But it’s on my goal list. My kids also love marshmallows. So I want to make a real food marshmallow salad of sorts to add to our menu, tis the season, after all.

What do you have for Thanksgiving Dinner? I’d love to hear favorite dishes and traditions with your family!